#trying a cutesy-er style

[beemosketches]

day 1?

#sketchadaymay2025

[mxlooker]

was trying a cutesy-er style and idk. idk how i feel abt it but. yeag

[0isms]

“…Oh.” He never thought of it that way. “So like, a balance between the two? …Wouldn’t it like, still be trying to fit in though? I mean, because if you try not to try too hard to fit in so it doesn’t seem off-putting, you’re technically still trying to fit in… Er, m-my head hurts...” Holding a hand to his head, the mechanic grimaced at the sudden jab of a headache, deciding to just let the thought go. With social stuff, it’s better to just wing it and see how it goes anyway, because he’s learned the reactions are different from person to person, or sometimes environment to environment… Some people prefer you act like their errand boy, and some apparently find it off-putting. Humans are so complicated.

Like now. He’d nodded slowly in acknowledgement to Rio’s good-wishing, then turned to see who it was she came with, but paused at the sight. “Whoa,” he couldn’t help but express in surprise, gaping. “D-does he have no problem wearing something that cutesy?? That’s a really bold choice of style… It’s… it’s kind of amazing...” How that guy escaped his notice, he didn’t know. The drunk lot really were taking up all of his attention, it seems. Then again, he would’ve accidentally assumed that guy was a girl, so maybe it was better that he hadn’t noticed him earlier.

He leaned his cheek against his palm again, sighing heavily. “He’s rocking that look, too... Man, I’m kinda jealous. Femboys are really built different.” They didn’t give a fuck about social norms. While cross-dressing wasn’t that uncommon, it still earned some weird looks and comments from people, especially if it wasn’t done for comedy or cosplay. “Anyway, I just realized this is the first time I get to know a classmate of yours. Is there anyone else from your class here?”

"That's not really what I meant," Rio murmured as she looked back down to her game. Sure, Kazuichi had said it was too serious of a topic, but that wasn't necessarily going to stop her, especially when she still had a point to make. "I think it's probably better to be liked than not, and better to fit in than not, sure. But, if you try too hard for either of those things, people pick up on it, and it has the opposite effect." She yawned, fingers nearly slipping and costing her her victory, before she quickly settled and recommenced tapping. "I think a lot of people can tell, anyway."

But, then again, it was also true that Rio really didn't put too much stock in it all. There were people who she wanted to like her, and a lot of people whose opinion wasn't that important as long as they didn't hate her. She'd always been a bit of a strange person by the standards of other people, for a variety of reasons, so hers had always been a path of making friends in strange places, or clustering around shared hobbies or identities, rather than trying to cast the biggest net and befriend everyone. Even now that she'd grown out of some of her childhood problems, she tried to focus on people who would enrich her life, or who she could help.

And, hearing about Chihiro's ideas, it seemed like she wasn't the only person with that kind of mindset. "Huh. That sounds really helpful to a lot of people, senpai." With the amount of time and money invested in HPA students, it was Rio's belief that everyone needed to find a way to give back, and that seemed as good a way as any - using one's skills to uplift and help people who already had a harder time in society through no fault of their own. "I hope you guys can figure out all the little intricacies, and how to make it viable, and such."

With the completion of one more domain, Rio gave a soft sigh as she powered off the game. She'd crunched all her resin, anyway, and the phone was starting to get hot. "Oh, yeah," she answered, looking up to Kazuichi with a nod. "Miki. He's one of my best friends, and yeah, he's from my class." Looking back inside at the party, Rio squinted for a few minutes, before pointing to someone. The person in question certainly stood out, with light purple twintails, a variety of cute ribbons and hair clips, multiple ear piercings, and a generally impossibly cute vibe. Their clothes weren't any less eye-catching, between the fluffy pink coat that hung off their slim frame, their short, ruffled skirt, their stockings and garters, and the heart-shaped ribbon positioned at the clasp of their top. "Miki!" Rio gave a smile and a wave, earning a playfully stuck-out tongue and a little half-wave of hands with painted black nails in return. "That's him."

[neptunesyrup]

uh edgy

[telli1206]

House Of Tricks - Part 2

Carlos joins Uma’s crew, and Jay is ready to shoot his shot with him. But, is there another pirate just waiting to rock the boat?

Haaaaaappy Birthday, @hersilentlanguage! I know you’ve been eagerly awaiting a part 2 of this, so I got my ass in gear just for you, because you deserve ALL THE LOVE today. I hope it’s the best birthday yet for you. Much love 💖💖💖💖

Part 1

Evil, Jay never thought an attitude could be this hot.

But the freckled boy that’s in his room right now with arms crossed defiantly,  glaring daggers at him from the other side of his bed, is looking all kinds of fucking hot. His piercing brown eyes alone are enough to make Jay lose his breath from the tightness in his...chest. 

Or, from somewhere else.

“I never said I’d room with you. That wasn’t part of the agreement.”

Jay smiles back at the sneering pink lips directed at him. Carlos is trying so hard to look angry and put off, but it’s not having the desired effect at all. Everything he does is just so damn cute.

“Is that so?” 

Jay stares into angry eyes, refusing to look phased by the growing heat behind them. “Well, I don’t recall specific sleeping arrangements in the agreement at all. Unless, I missed something?”

With every word Jay takes a tiny step closer, inching his way into Carlos’ space as subtley as he can. The boy is quick to notice though. and Jay recognizes the slight tinge of fear that flickers into his eyes, which is soon blinked away and replaced with a hardened stare. Carlos takes a few deliberate steps to his side, sidling away from the potential Jay is creating to have him cornered by the window.

Jay snickers and shakes his head, maneuvering himself quickly in Carlos’ direction and darting an arm out to block his way. “Not so fast, pup. Where are you off to? We’ve got to figure out what side of the bed is gonna be yours.”

Jay uses his free hand to gesture towards his bed, throwing Carlos a suggestive wink. But Carlos responds with only an eye roll and a generous step back, taking him out of Jay’s reach.

“I need to talk to Uma. I’m about to call off our deal.” 

“Aw, c’mon now, don’t be mean,” Jay whines, jutting his lip out in an overly dramatic pout. “I saved you from your mom, brought you to The Revenge, convinced Uma to take you in. Don’t you like me even a little bit after all that?”

He adds wide, sad eyes and a quiver in his lip as he waits for Carlos’ reaction. But the boy simply scoffs, brushing some white curls out of his eyes as he looks away from Jay with a scowl still on his lips.

“Is that what you call breaking into my house, kidnapping me and stealing my mom’s furs so she’ll kill me if I try to go back, giving me no other options but to stay here and join Uma’s crew?” Carlos snaps, with an indignant curl to his lips. “SO sorry I forgot to thank you for all that.”

Jay chuckles at the heavy sarcasm in Carlos’ tone. His incensed banter is so entertaining, Jay is almost too distracted to notice Carlos’ fast shuffle around to Jay’s unprotected side. When he realizes what’s happening he takes a flying leap to grab at a freckled arm, but narrowly misses as Carlos tucks and rolls onto the bed, popping up with a triumphant smile on the other side. 

“Pup! Get back here!” Jay snarls, crawling across the bed, watching Carlos intently as he scoots his way to the door.

"This...roommate situation just isn’t going to work out for me, Jay,” Carlos laments mockingly, shrugging at him. “I’m fixing this with Uma, and there’s nothing that’s going to change my mind.”

Jay sighs when Carlos reaches for the handle, but at that moment the door swings open, and Carlos jumps back, arms raised, watching another familiar pirate sweep into the room, with a taunting sneer that glints almost as brightly as the hook dangling from his coatsleeve.

“And how’re the new roomies gettin’ along?” Harry sing-songs, his eyes darting from Jay’s crawling stance on the bed to Carlos and back. He takes in the boy’s sneer in front of him and lets out a chuckle.

“Aw, whatsa matter pup?” he coos, slipping a finger under Carlos’ chin to give it a tickle. 

Carlos snarls and smacks him away, almost opting to take a step behind him. But he glances at Jay and chooses to take a step over instead, keeping him closer to the door than the bed.

“I want to talk to Uma. This-” Carlos emphasizes by waving his hand between himself and Jay, “-isn’t going to work.”

Harry grins, casting his gaze back to Jay. “Well wha’ happened here now, Jay? I figured yeh’d be happy to share a bed with the cutesy lil’ pup.” He drops a hand to Carlos’ shoulder, tightening his grip when the boy tries to wriggle away. “Stop bein’ such a bed hog now.”

“Shut it, Hook,” Jay growls through gritted teeth. “I’m MORE than happy to share with him and he knows it.”

“I don’t want to,” Carlos butts in, still trying to shake off Harry. “If Uma won’t give me another room...I’d rather, take my chances at home. With my mother.”

“Eh, I might rethink that if I was you, pup,” Harry snarks. He raises a contempuous brow before ducking back out the door, leaving a curious Carlos and Jay staring pensively from inside the room.

When Harry returns, he’s carrying a balled up...animal?...of some sort, splattered in an array of blue and green paints. It’s only when he starts to unball it, letting the fur roll to the ground, that Carlos recognizes what it is and releases an audible gasp that carries a mix of both shock and horror.

“Harry!” Carlos chastises, snatching the fur from his hands. He pulls it open, holding it by the arms as the rest of the coat falls down in a flurry of color and the gleam of fresh paint, and lets out choked sob.

“Y-you...didn’t! Not my mom’s favorite fox fur!” 

Carlos’ eyes are wide with fear, bulging at the sight of the clumpy and  sticky fur coat, showing only a few tufts of the soft, silvery gray fur that once adorned the entire coat.

“Heh, yeah...Harry chuckles softly, rubbing at the back of his neck. He tries his usual playful smile, but even Jay can see the tinge of regret in his eyes.

“Gil wanted teh try an’ make it a lil’ more Uma’s style...” Harry explains slowly, his eyes dragging up and down the coat in Carlos’ hands. Carlos dips a finger into a spot of paint, rubbing it between his fingers for a moment before dropping the coat down in disgust.

“You ruined it! She’s going to kill me!” Carlos groans, clutching at his head in frustration, his eyes alight with fear and anguish. “At least I had a chance to get them back when they were just stolen!”

“Yeh. Guess you can’t paint fur, can yeh? Gilly and I learnt the hard way. I jus’ wish we stopped after that one...”

“Harry...you didn’t!” Carlos eyes are even wider, if that’s possible, and he’s gripping Harry’s shoulders now, the skin of the pirate’s biceps looking white where the boys nails are dug in. 

Harry rasps out a tiny laugh, smiling weakly at the boy’s pained expression. “Sorry, pup. Best if you stay here, don’tcha think? At least yeh know Uma’ll keep yeh safe.”

The fire that Carlos possessed just a few minutes is lost now, buried underneath the terror he has at the thought of facing Cruella’s wrath. He drops onto the bed wordlessly, burying his face in his hands and fisting and tugging at his curls.

“Jay.”

Jay almost doesn’t register his name, he’s too intently focused on the boy he wanted in his bed, now sitting so close and looking so distressed. Harry says his name again and he finally looks up, recognizing his nod towards the door as a signal for them to speak privately.

He slides off the bed, stopping for a moment with one hand hovering over Carlos, silently contemplating the offer of a comforting pat. But Harry clears his throat loudly, prompting Jay to drop his hand and follow him outside.

“Jus’ one lil’ thing, lad,” Harry starts, his voice just above a whisper. “I know Uma agreed that you could have pup in yer room, but she doesn’ want ‘im teh hate us either...so, she said you have a week teh make...’friends,’ er whatever, or she’ll give ‘im another room if he asks fer it.”

“What??” Jay rasps, eyes narrowed at Harry. 

Harry puts his hands up defensively. “Aye now, don’ kill the messenger, ‘k? I’m jus’ tellin’ yeh what the cap’n told me.” 

But Harry pulls a smirk before Jay can start to relax. “O’ course, I did tell Uma I’d be happy teh share a room with the runt if he doesn’ want ya,” he adds with a waggle of his eyebrows.

Jay’s mouth drops at Harry’s words. He quickly recovers though and clenches his jaw, balling his fists as he stares Harry down.

“What the fuck, Hook??” He grits, putting a fist in the pirate’s face. “That’s playin’ dirty! I thought I made it pretty clear he’s mine, didn’t I?”

Harry backs up, giving Jay a casual shrug. “Not if he doesn’ want yeh, I guess. Uma’s orders. She wants those traps, and she’s not willin’ teh give ‘em up jus’ so you can keep ‘em fer yourself.” He smiles and turns to leave, giving Jay a final glance over his shoulder.

“Pup’s cute, yeh know? An’ fiery. Can’ waste that if yeh don’ know how to have fun together. I’m sure he an’ I can have a good time.” 

Jay growls as Harry blows him a kiss before finally walking away. He curses his own luck, hurrying back into his room and to Carlos. He didn’t realize his plan to woo the new pirate would have a timeline, but he’ll be damned if he lets Harry get the spoils of his labor.

He closes the door behind him gently while he looks for Carlos. He’s no longer seated on the bed, but a quick scan and Jay easily spots the boy curled up in the bed, still and silent, with his back facing the door. Jay’s threadbare blanket is draped over him, pulled up to his shoulders, with his head resting on the pillow.

Jay exhales quietly, taking slow, gentle steps toward the bed. He sits on the edge to carefully toe off his boots, his eyes never leaving the boy in his bed. Carlos breaths are even and steady, and Jay can only assume that he’s asleep. Not surprising after all the change he’s gone through in just a single day.

Jay opts not to disturb him. Instead, he rolls over onto the bed, pulling the blanket over him to and laying beside Carlos, facing his back. He watches the boy’s breathing for a few minutes, his fingers itching to touch him, to wrap an arm around his waist and hold him while he sleeps.

He shakes off his urges though, choosing to close his eyes and try to let sleep take him over. The image of the freckled boy next to him still haunts his mind, his thoughts consumed with his desires, hindered by a new limited time span. 

Harry can’t fucking win Carlos. His usual outright flirting just isn’t going to cut it anymore. It’s time to come up with a plan. 

[struggle-but-its-all-ocean-floor]

No matter how many times I listen to it, Crazy in Love is not a good album. The sound and lyrics are just childish to me. Itzy’s usual style is bright, energetic, and bold, sometimes cute, yet cool and confident - it’s neither mature not immature. It’s true that their lyrics aren’t great, but they don’t stand out very much and can sometimes be witty (*cough* MITM *cough*). Their lyrics can seem a bit childish, but the execution is so well done that it doesn’t come across that way. Itzy always sound genuine and natural. 

But this album makes them sound immature when they’re all women in their 20s.  They don’t sound effortlessly cool and confident like they usually do - and I don’t mean that they always need to be confident or write about confidence, but they should perform with confidence, not sound like they were given a script (er, lyrics). Keep in mind that immature love lyrics are a pet peeve of mine. One thing is to do cutesy and innocent like Twice, and another is emo like teen love songs. 

The rap is also cringy in a lot of the songs... The album can be split into the ballads, which are generic teen love songs (nothing against teens, it’s just the “genre” of music) - not very memorable and I hate that Lia sings is such a high, cutesy voice - and the badass, hype songs. But even the hype songs aren’t very great. The rap in the verses is very try-hard (though Yuna does a good job for the most part), and the adlibs are super cringe. The choruses are softer and the best part of the song. It’s unfortunate that the vocal arrangement and production isn’t very good, because the instrumentals are pretty cool. Loco is by far the best song in the album. I like all of Itzy’s singles and minis (apart from Weapon), but not this album....

[1358456]

so what do you think would be your ideal dex holder? What about their team?

 An ideal Dex Holder? So... a hypothetical Dex Holder that I would end up liking so much that Platinum would fall off the top favorite spot?? Haha, that’s unfathomable! Platinum has been my top favorite for a full decade now. Who could possibly top her? Hehe...

... I have no idea what would be ideal for me, so... let’s try combining all my preferences and see what happens.

This hypothetical Dex Holder would probably be a girl, one that does NOT get shoved off to the side in the arc or in the finale. For simplicity’s sake, let’s call her... er... Alice. That’s the first name that I can think of in the alphabetical order. There are probably dozens of girls’ names that come before, but... ehn. Now to combine all the preferences and see how deep the rabbit hole goes...

First off, appearance - generic build! Hmm... probably a normal build. Not too tall, not short either. And normal size. ... Even in that regard. Normal. ... So... kind of like HGSS Crystal?

Next, hair! I prefer long hair. Not stupidly long like White or Faitsu, but kind of like... Blue and Platinum. Hairstyle would be... ponytail but keep the side bangs. For hair color... I don’t really give a f*ck, as long as it’s not like... anime-stupid. None of that “bright-ass purple” hair bullsh*t. Dark brown is probably safe.

Next, eyes! Brown eyes are probably better. And I think there are enough “brown hair blue eyes” among the girls as is (Blue, Crystal (half the time in volume covers only), Sapphire, White, Faitsu?). As for the shape, I prefer the sharper style like Platinum. She’ll need to be wearing glasses of course.

Clothes! ... No miniskirt. Beyond that, I only have one constraint, and that is... if the leg-wear is short, the top wear’s sleeves can NOT be longer. Like... if this Alice is wearing shorts, then her shirt must be either a short sleeved T-shirt, or a sleeveless shirt. If she’s wearing full length jeans, then... whatever. Beyond that, I don’t give a damn.

For personality... I don’t like bubbly, so... this Alice would need to be calm and collected, but not icy cool. So maybe like a mix between Blue and Platinum. Usually quiet and calm, but can snap and get really mad, kind of like Y.

I’m not a super fan of the heroic types, so this Alice would have to be someone who’d mind her own business, but can be dragged into the fray. So she’ll stumble upon the bad guys who are going about their business, and she’ll just walk away because it doesn’t involve her. But then someone she befriended would be affected, and then she’d get involved but only to the point of helping said friend.

She’ll have to be polite, but not to a ridiculous amount. On a scale of formality between Y/Sapphire and Platinum, there’s going to be a middle ground somewhere. But maybe lean a bit more towards Platinum. Like, this Alice doesn’t have to be super formal to enemies. So sample lines... “Oh hello, senior. How can I help you today?” “Hey bud, what’s up?” “Oh you arrogant son of a bitch! I’m going to rip out the stick up your ass, beat you with it, and then shove it back up there!”

For flaws... How about the opposite of a hero syndrome? A standard issue hero’s general flaw is the absolute inability to make sacrifices other than self-sacrifice. So for Alice here, what if she’s far too willing to accept or make sacrifices? Or if not that, then maybe she can be viewed as heartless a lot of the times.

For other miscellaneous... She’ll have a trauma that she can’t overcome. She’ll also have a physical condition, like a heart condition, that prevents her from doing too many physically active things which then means that she wouldn’t be able to sustain too many battles or a long difficult battle. And the trauma + physical condition would give her an attitude of flat indifference towards danger and threats. She wouldn’t be suicidal or fatalistic, she’s not going to be rushing for death, but doesn’t really care if it happens.

That way, this Alice here wouldn’t be like those “flawless cutesy perfect girl” type bullsh*t.

Now finally, for Pokemon team... other than the mandatory starter, she’ll have... Psychic type preference! And she’d like small and cute Pokemon but ONLY if they’re actually strong. Like... Espeon. Or... Mew, though that’s not going to be happening. ... Maybe she can have a Mew plushie instead.

... Unfortunately, there aren’t that many small, cute, and strong Psychic types that aren’t Legendary. So... just fill it up with random strong Psychic types. And hey, maybe give her an objective of finding a shiny Mew one day.

Whew. And I think that’s about all of it?

But... wait a minute. Past trauma, long dark brown hair in a ponytail, brown eyes, glasses, heart condition, Psychic type preference, looking for a shiny Mew, clothes preference... What is this, me? I mean, the Psychic type preference and clothing style preference... okay. My “ideal” Dex Holder should have a lot of my preference. But... is my “ideal” Dex Holder going to be the one that’s most similar to me? I think there’s a negative word for something like this. Hahaha. But the Alice I described here is already sufficiently different than me so it’s not like I’m being narcissistic.

[goody-goody-gunshots]

Some Space Station 13 draws from a bit ago, was trying cutesy-er styles :3c

(The ones in the top pic are my friends characters, the lizard man in the bottom pic is my character Cassius and the man on the left is @zemni-fields character Jericho)

[dappercritter]

You have been granted the oppurtunity to recast your favorite animated movie! The only catch is that each of the characters in said movie are animated characters from different shows/movies (X from show/movie is Bob, X from show/movie is Larry, ect.)

Hoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo boi. You have no idea what you’ve just unleashed, my friend!

Once long ago, before the Cringe Ages, I loved recasting my favourite and sometimes least favourite movies with characters from my favourite shows. But then I started taking storytelling more seriously and sentimentally and… art-y, and I started acting as if I was above the stuff somehow. To this day, I still don’t know whether to blame the masses or my own hubris.

But now! Now, the floodgates of my childish, innocent mind are open once more! And I have just the idea: The Nightmare Before Christmas but with Villainous and Batman* characters! (With a few CN villains on the side.) So, I guess you could call it…

The Villainous Nightmare Before Batman! 

(No, wait. Uhhhhh…)

The Dark Knight Before Villainous!

Ok, yeah, that should do.

Now you’re probably asking yourself, “Dapper Critter, what are you doing this? Sure, Batman meets Villainous could work, but why are you bringing The Nightmare Before Christmas into this? It’s not even Halloween or Christmas! What are you thinking?!” Well, first of all, Christmas and Halloween aren’t just holidays, they’re states-of-mind. Second, I think it’s time you guys learned something important: I’m a big ol’ lowkey goth baby, baby! If it’s spooky or gothic, I’ll soak it up like a sponge in sink full of soapy water. And nothing says gothic like the hero of a city literally called “Gotham,” a show with a grotesque monster hiding behind the guise of a well-dressed man, and the classic story of Jack Skellington himself! What’s more, all three of these hold a special place in my heart, as they all played a huge part in helping me develop and realize my interest in gothic culture. Lastly, I can see the worlds of these three stories coming together quite easily. Behold, this plot pitch I just made!

“Another Halloween has come and gone in CN City, and another cheerful Christmas is on its way. Black Hat, unofficial master of all that is dark and evil, is thoroughly disgusted that the multiverse will soon be returning to it’s obnoxiously cheerful and wholesome state. He morosely tears a hole through time and space to talk a walk through reality, miserable that he’s stuck living in such a wonderful place. That is until he stumbles upon the city of Gotham, where no matter what time of year it is, the streets are filled with misery and malicious mayhem. Delighted, he sets out to celebrate Christmas his own way: by taking a certain caped-crusader out of the picture and making Gotham his very own holiday vacation home! Little does he know, there’s one special girl who thinks he can celebrate right where he is, as well as a certain clown who’s got his own sinister Christmas party in mind…”

So now that I’ve convinced you, I think it’s time we got down to the actual recasting! Let’s begin, my darling children of the Hot Topic night…

Black Hat as Jack Skellington: This couldn’t have been easier—they’re both creepy gentlemen with excellent taste in fashion. Yes, I know Black Hat is a lot less nice than our dear Pumpkin King, but let’s just say this story takes the odd liberty here and there. Not to mention, Black Hat could easily match Jack’s enthusiasm, intelligence, style, and obsessive inquisitions. Plus, he could totally pull off an evil Santa suit. (Though to be honest, I’m not sure if his snarling, slimy, cockney-accented voice could match Danny Elfman’s melodious singing.)

Demencia as Sally: A devoted, mildly ghoulish, and totally cute fangirl who’s always pining after their darling idol, and who may or may not have been made in a lab? It’s like this fancast is writing itself! Demencia might be a bit more proactive—and scary—in the plot, but I can see her a lot Sally’s dilemma in her as she tries to get Black Hat to notice her and not to abandon them in pursuit of a crazy dream. (Well, that I’m filthy Lizardhat trash.)

Dr. Flug as Dr. Finklestein: Flug, being the only mad scientist who’s employed by Black Hat, as well as the only to survive this, seems like a good pick. Sure, he’s not in a wheelchair and, no, he’s not as creepy as the bugger, but he could still work as our horrid hero’s right-hand man. Plus, since a big part of his canon character is putting up with Demencia’s BS (tell my family that means “baloney-sandwich”), he’d also do great as the one trying to keep the free-spirited love interest under control. Only here, it would be because he’s trying to keep Dem out of trouble so she doesn’t make his boss mad and try to kill him, as opposed to… whatever Finklestein’s problem is. And of course, he can still be menacing if need be. (Just watch the Lost Cases of Townsville and The Tree House…)

5.0.5. as Zero: A cute animal sidekick is a cute animal sidekick, I always say! And 5.0.5. was basically designed to be the ultimate cutesy animal sidekick. Therefore, he can be basically do anything Zero did. Try to cheer up Black Hat? Check. Pull Black Hate’s sleigh? Why couldn’t he? Yeah, he can’t be a flying ghost dog with a glowing nose, but I could just throw bedsheet on him (it was just after Halloween after all) and maybe say he swallowed that anti-gravity device.

Batman as Santa Claus: For Santa Clause, I needed someone who could be the absolute good guy in a world filled with bad guys and weirdos, much like Santa was in the movie. Likewise, since Jack kidnapped Santa to take over Christmas, Black Hat would need to kidnap the guy in charge of Gotham in order to take it for himself. So, of course he’s going to go after it’s #1 protector. I can also see Batman being the voice of reason in this madcap story. Not to mention that he could pull off a Santa suit even better than Black Hat! (In fact…)

The Joker as Oogie Boogie: This one I had some trouble with. I kept asking myself stuff like, “who would be brave enough to usurp Black Hat?,” “who could match Oogie’s siz—er, presence?” or “who would want to kidnap Santa Claus?,” and “Who would be into gambling and crazy funhouse stuff?” And then it came to me: The Joker. I mean, he’s got charisma, a sense of menace, he’s a cutthroat who loves to play with his enemies, and almost always has a big ol’ amusement park deathtrap on hand. Sure, he wouldn’t have the creepy demise like Oogie, but he could get a good beating and traumatizing from Black Hat and/or Demencia (who’d really hate being a damsel in distress, I imagine).

The Delightful Children from Down the Lane as Lock, Shock, and Barrel: At first, I thought of using other Batman villains or Shannon, Darrell, and Ernesto from OK K.O.!, but then I thought it would make more sense to have child villains from a CN show who could do bad things for slime-balls like Black Hat and Joker with pleasure. I instantly thought of these scheming, little monsters from Codename: Kids Next Door (an old favourite of mine). Although they’re usually talk and act in unison, they could have some comical bickering now and then. (After all, “Lenny is an idiot.”) Likewise, I can see Black Hat using Batman’s affinity for young people to get him while his guard’s down. They could make for great trick r’ treaters as well!

Lord Boxman as The Mayor: The mayor wasn’t a very important character, but he was definitely a memorable one, and the first character I thought of who could match his dual personality was Lord Boxman from OK K.O.! They both act like leaders but are really terrible at their jobs, suck up to better villains, and throw a whimpering tantrum like nobody else. (Also, I get to imagine Jim Cummings singing lines from The Nightmare Before Christmas songs, so that’s nice.)

Various CN Villains as The Citizens of Halloween Town: Like with The Mayor and the Trick R’ Treaters, I like to think that the various CN villains who cameoed in the Villainous Orientation series would show up as the denizens of the seedier side of CN City which—as you probably guessed—would be standing in for Halloween Town. Unfortunately, I do not have an encylcopediac knowledge of either Halloween Town residents, nor CN villains, so I’ll just list the ones I can remember and am the most proud of without offering any real justification.

Nohyas as Mr. Hyde: I couldn’t think of anyone besides Black Hat with a fancy hat or smaller versions of himself. Nohyas just so happens to have a suitable villain’s hat, and Handre (his hand puppet) could work in place of tiny clones living under his hats. (And yes, I like Mighty Magiswords. Deal with it.)

Zombozo as Clown with the Tear-Away Face: I don’t believe all creepy clowns look the same, but a ghoulish clown could easily stand in for another. Plus, I used to be a big Ben 10 fan, so I thought I ought to work something in.

Donny as Behemoth: This grass ogre from Adventure Time was more of an outright jerk than Behemoth, but he has a softer side so that would make him a great candidate for a resident gentle giant.

Loony Toons’ Dracula, Billy and Mandy’s Dracula, and Count Spankula as The Vampire Brothers: Do I really need to explain this one?

The Red Guy as Devil: I sure don’t need to elaborate on this one.

The Gangreen Gang as the Zombie Band: The Gangreens were basically based off edgy bands of the late 90’s, and thanks to Gorillaz, we know Ace can play the bass like a boss. Also, I can totally hear Ace saying, “Nice work, bone-daddy.”

Earl (AKA Dopey Black Hat) as Igor: Earl doesn’t get enough to do, inside or outside of Villainous canon.

The Beast as The Hanging Tree: Yeah, I know, I’m messed-up.

HIM as Harlequin Demon: Seriously, this one cast itself!

The Queen of the Black Puddle as Undersea Gal: I don’t watch Courage the Cowardly Dog much, but I remember seeing this villainess once before and I instantly thought she’d be a dead-ringer!

Morbidia and Gateaux as The Witches: Another natural casting derived from my soft spot for Mighty Magiswords. Although Gateaux is a male and a tall one at that, he’s perfect for being a huge suck-up. (I originally considered Miss Endive from Chowder and Duchess from Fosters’ Home for Imaginary Friends, but then I remembered that no matter what they dressed-up as, they’d be unlikeable.)

Monstrous Black Hat as The Monster Under the Bed: Like Earl and the other Black Hat clones, he doesn’t get enough love. (Though this may be a good thing, since he seems too nasty to receive or return it…)

Rob as The Melting Man: There aren’t a lot of CN villains who are melting, per se, but I figured this poor bad guy from Amazing World of Gumball and his unique media-mixed malformity could work.

Biowolf as The Wolfman: Because they’re both well designed wolfmen and I refuse to forget Generator Rex.

The Robins, Batgirl, and Alfred as the Elves: If Batman’s going to be Santa, then his support staff/family might as well be his helpers. Not to mention, they’d look great in cute little elf outfits happily working on Batman’s gadgets in preparation for the big Christmas crime wave.

The Justice League as The Army: Someone needs to show up to shoot-down Black Hat and his idea of Christmas at the end, and since he’s kidnapped Batman, I think it only makes sense that the Justice League would retaliate and come to clean up Black Hat’s mess. He’d also get a reminder that he isn’t just in Gotham City, he’s in the DC universe.

Unikitty as The Easter Bunny: I have my reasons. Them being, Unikitty is good at being sweet and innocent, the episode “Batkitty,” and her world is one of the few Black Hat has interacted with so far. I like to think that’s because he’s too repulsed by her cuteness to touch it. So imagine his reaction when the Delightful Children bring him to her by accident while she’s cosplaying as LEGO Batman or something.

And there you have it! I had a lot of fun making this recast. It was a great way to step out of my comfort zone and to have some fun. Not to mention, I had an excuse to listen to the Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack early. I sincerely hope you like it as much as I do, @good-guy-is-alive!

Now I just need to make sure Black Hat himself doesn’t see this, or else he might find me and—

Oh no.

No, please, Mister Black Hat, sir, you don’t understand. I just was doing this for fun. I wasn’t trying to make you look—

OH NO.

NO!

NOOOOOOOOOOjglkajgflkjdshGH;LJF’W abfklghlfuGFARGTADS!!!#%RQ#@!

…

…

…

*Since DC changes their Batman shows like people change their socks, we’ll just say that this is your standard DCAU/Bruce Timmverse Batman.

[if-i-want-to-dance]

Dance with Devils Headcanons for the boys going lingerie shopping with their S/O for the first time

Shoutout to my irl friend who helped me with this! The first time I write it out, it ended up kind of awkwardly written the first couple shots I took, and she helped me out with it a lot, so thanks for that!!!!

Rem

-Rem has never done this in his life. Ever.

-He walks into the store. There’s so much... lace... and ribbons... Rem.exe has stopped working.

-It’s honestly just funny to see Rem like this. He just stares around, clearly completely at a loss for what he’s supposed to do.

-You grab his hand and he jumps ever so slightly.

-He makes few, if any suggestions, but they tend to lean towards being lacy and white or blue.

-Once you’ve picked out the bras, you ask Rem to run a quick errand to another store and take a look for lingerie. What does you like? You end up picking out an elaborate lacy bra, matching garter belt, and underwear. It’s not quite your thing, but it looks like something he’d like.

-Rem returns and you show him your choices. “While that’s nice... are you sure you like it?”

“...It’s not for me, though, really?”

“You’re the one wearing it. Do you like it?”

-“I... it’s not exactly...”

-Rem leans forward and kisses the top of your head. “While I do appreciate it, you should pick something you like. Why don’t you get dressed and come out again and we’ll take another look?”

-Rem guides you around the room, pointing out items and asking what you like the look of. You take a look at a few items, but nothing really jumps out at you.

-You pull a silky, lacy ice blue chemise off a hanger and hold it up to your body. “Um... I like this. Do you think...”

-Rem stares for a moment. His cheeks turn pink. “I...” His face returns to his usual expression. “I think that suits you very nicely.”

-You add the chemise and some lacy garters to your purchases. 

Urie

-Let’s be honest with ourselves. It’s extremely unlikely Urie hasn’t shopped with someone for bras or some type of lingerie before.

-He’s completely comfortable making suggestions and going through the displays and drawers of bras. He’s also super practical about suggesting bras. Do you have a big rack and need support? He makes sure you’re picking things based on practicality first., looks second. As far as looks go, he suggests a wide variety of bras, from cutesy stuff with frills and bows to sexy stuff that barely covers anything.

-A small part of you starts to wonder how many girls he’s done this with before. How many he’s suggested bras to. How many girls he’s seen in their bras and lingerie. How many he’s taken that lingerie off of. 

-After you’ve picked out the bras you need to try on, you locate several items of lingerie while Urie’s not looking and head to the changing room.

-When you step out of the lacy red bustier and matching underwear, Urie’s smile tightens slightly. “Er... Butterfly.”

Your chest tightens.

“You are lovely. And this bustier is lovely. But it doesn’t quite seem like your style.”

-”...I thought you’d like it.”

“But do you? There’s no point in wearing something to impress me if you don’t feel comfortable in it.”

You stare at the ground and quietly confess how you’ve been feeling.

-Urie steps forward and pats your head. “That’s a very reasonable way to feel. But I don’t want them - why would I want them when I can have you? Now, why don’t you take that off and I’ll find you something that suits you.”

-He ends up returning with a pretty silky, pale pink babydoll. “What do you think? Do you like this?”

You nod.

Mage

-The bras don’t bite, Mage.”

He says nothing and his eyes continue to rove, looking for a safe place to land and finding new horrors no matter what way he turns.

-There’s terminology for the types of bras. Why? Why does underwear need so many types?

-What? Are those underwear? That’s just a couple strings!

-You hold up a pink bra with little bows on it. “What do you think of this one?” Mage turns absolutely scarlet and pushes your hand down. “Oy! Not so loud!” He doesn’t want anyone else to get the mental image he just did 

-Eventually, he gets over his discomfort and ends up suggesting you try some stuff he likes the look of. And when I say some, I mean it takes two people to carry it to the changing room.

-You end up trying on his suggestions and none of them really suit your style.

- “Um, Mage? I don’t think any of this stuff really works for me...” You set down the bra he suggested and move towards a display with some other styles.

- “W-what’s wrong with any of this?” demands Mage.

“Nothing’s wrong with it, exactly. It’s just not my thing,” you say.

“What? Don’t you just wear this stuff for me anyway?”

-You turn around slowly. “Mage. You think I don’t wear bras outside of trying to impress you?” You pull a lacy bra off the rack and hold it up. “Look at the way these places market themselves. You think they’re trying to appeal to men, who never actually wear their products?”

“Uh...”

“I do take into account what you like. It’s not unimportant to me. But I’m also going to be wearing this. How about we look together for something we both like?”

-Mage and you work together to pick out something you both like, but he never bothers you about it again, strangely enough.

Shiki

-Shiki doesn’t care what underwear you wear. You practically have to drag him into the store. He just stands around, bored and asking to go home.

-He does perk up when he sees you hold up several bras which are white or pastel colors, in simple styles. He remarks how innocent you would look in them.

-He usually prefers you to look innocent and cute rather than sexy. He definitely wouldn’t say no to the second, but his perverted, sadistic side likes the idea of dirtying something innocent.

-Until he spies some other odds and ends in the store that are more his speed certain lingerie stores sell handcuffs and things along those lines let’s just leave it at that. Things go quickly... downhill from there.

-You are both summarily kicked out of the store and banned.

Lindo

-Lindo has faced many, many foes in his life. Vampires, devils, the works. And yet somehow, a store for underwear makes some small part of him want to turn tail and run.

-Not that he’d let you in on this. He walks into the store holding your hand - and very pointedly staring ahead and not looking to the left or right at any of the displays or posters or at any of the other customers.

-He’s outwardly pretty calm until you hold up a lacy red push up bra. “Lindo, what do you think?”

-Lindo.exe has stopped working.

-Once you’ve both been in the store for a while, he grows a bit more relaxed with the situation. He picks up a thong from one of the displays and holds the actual fabric part in front of his eye. “Aye, Matey!” You both start laughing.

-He end up suggesting a few things, but his suggestions are more on the practical side than about the actual appearance of what you’re buying.

“If you’re wearing this every day, these glittery bits are definitely going to leave a pattern in your shirt, is that going to be a problem?”

“Is that bra going to provide enough support for you?”

Roen

-He’s new to this and doesn’t know how it works, but just sees it as another thing that has to be done.

-He’s completed unfazed by how suggestive some of the displays are though you do catch him rolling his eyes ever so often because he thinks it’s so silly. His eyes don’t wander and you don’t see him so much glance at the pictures of scantily clad models on the wall.

-Throughout the entire shopping trip, he’s composed and doesn’t seem affected by anything around him.

-Then you get to the dressing room and find several bras in your arms that you don’t remember selecting. They’re all simple in style, but look good on you.

-You can’t help but notice Roen smirk when you emerge with one of the mystery bras in your “to buy” pile.

[inikavulpixelreviews]

Let’s Talk About Pokemon - Z...eroara?

570: Zorua

Welp. This is it. It's all downhill from here. This is the highlight. The big triumph over my heart. We won't see another Pokemon be able to top this one across the entirety of this review series. (Unless of course something even more perfect graces us in a future Generation...)

That's right folks. If you know me from my personal blog, it may be no surprise that I absolutely adore Zorua here. I've done my best to not outright say it on here, but I wouldn't be surprised if I laid out less than subtle hints. If not, well, er. Here it is. Zorua, my absolute #1 favorite Pokemon. And if that's not enough, these two collectively are also my favorite evolutionary family to boot!

And while I'll make an entire segment to just gush about both of them, I'll cover the two individually since they're fairly aesthetically different from each other.

Zorua here is the absolute perfect fox creature for me. Literally the only absent bit to it is that it's not a baby nine-tailed fox. But we'll be fair since we've already come up with one, and this one has a cooler theme at least just stand-alone as a fox. The tricky and shady look to it isn't just a personality choice; this Pokemon can change its appearance on a whim. Emphasis on appearance though. It's not like ditto where it'll literally shapeshift, but rather more like an illusionist; only appearing to shape shift. Which can create situations where you can fake-out opponents (or cheese the computer-controlled trainers by making it take on the shape of a Poison type as they desperately try to hit it wish Psychic moves that just won't work for whatever reason.)

The lil guy's tuft of hair even takes on the appearance of a little leaf over its head. Giving it some Tanooki vibes! Which is a Japanese mythical creature I'm surprised took this long for us to get a representative of. And even then, it's a fairly indirect one. It loses the look entirely when it evolves, but it at least fits with Zorua between the “leaf” on its head and the ability to psuedo-shape-shift.

Not to mention, Zorua's also got a bit of sentimental value being not only the first Pokemon I've laid eyes on from Gen 5 (comes with being the first of the two revealed, alongside Zoroark). But also this little bit of self-trivia I suppose. By now, a lot of people that follow me on any social medias or art sites will see me draw plenty of Pokemon the day they're announced to exist in a trailer or what-have-you, especially if I like them a lot. Zorua's the very first time I've ever done this. I guess granting I didn't start taking art seriously until well after Gen 4 was released, but still.

Personal Score: 10/10

I'm not quite done talking about Zorua, but let's get a word in for Zoroark too before we really get into gushing mode.

571: Zoroark

Zoroark may understandably be a put-off given it had marketing advertising it as the next Lucario and it's another anthropomorphic canid. But Zoroark is leagues ahead of Lucario with an overall tighter theme and aesthetic. Zoroark looks much more animalistic; mostly enough to be firmly out of any uncanny valley that it would have fallen in, and its design elements flow much better than Lucario's rather clunky execution. So I didn't mind Gamefreak trying to push this one as the “your new favorite Pokemon” shtick they like to pull. That's very selfish I know, but...

It's also very unique given anthropomorphic foxes in fiction. A lot of them take after Renamon or the like to be very pretty and upright. While Zoroark's still a design I'd describe as “pretty,” it's also very gangly and menacing, complete with the shit-eating grin, long face, and a design the emphasizes a flow into aggressive forward...ness.

My one solitary issue with the design is that its midsection looks a bit too skinny. I get it, sleek, tricky fox. But that's a step too far, I feel.

Personal Score: 10/10

A pair of near-perfect tricky foxies!!

Overall:

Ohhhh no. We're not getting off Matt's wild ride that easily. It's my absolute favorite, so instead of an “overall” segment, I'm gonna take a number from Bogleech and say let's do a...

Top 10 Things I Love About Zorua and Zoroark:

1. A Fox

Let's get this out of the way since that's a given. But I don't meant to point that out because I'm shallow like that; I can get REALLY picky about how my fox monsters look. But rather, these two are plenty unique among the other fox or fox-like Pokemon. Sure, I love me some Vulpix, Fennekin, and some of the Eeveelutions, but they all end up sharing the same general cutesy look. Zorua on the other hand takes on a whole other personality from the previously established foxy Pokemon. And Zoroark too! Ninetales and Delphox generally lean more toward looking beautiful more than anything, but that's not Zoroark's sole focus here. Instead, we get a much cooler looking monster with a more gangly face, which is a type of fox-look sorely missing from the foxmons all the way up until now. The only downside is that it isn't full gangly crookedness like Murkrow. But that's fine by me.

2. The Kabuki Dancer Theme

More prominent with Zoroark, for sure, is the fact that these two take heavily after Kabuki theater. Zoroark's really rocking the tons-o-hair look, with the both sporting some red markings to look like makeup.

3. Their Color Scheme

It's hard to go wrong with black and red, sure. That's a pretty go-to color scheme for something shady or, dare I say, “edgy”. But it serves these two better than most given they lean more toward the “shifty shadows” type of critter than “ultimate edgelord” like Shadow or Reaper or what have you. Then you also add in the teal, bluish green. Just the absolute perfect amount. A tiny accent and little more. Not too obtrusive or anything, because too much of that color could've easily thrown the whole thing off. But they held their restraint. Thank goodness.

4. Their Faces

I've gone over Zoroark's face enough by now, and how wonderful it is. But Zorua's adorably smug look and sly fox visage is the totally perfect foxy face. Now flaws. Just a sleezy friend.

5. They're Fluffy as Hell

Okay, this one I will admit is shallow as heck. But I don't care. Zorua's got the good ol neck ruff that makes it look super huggable. Zoroark may be sorely lacking a tail, but it plenty makes up for it with that big, poofy head of hair. Hair so big and poofy that their Zorua children can sleep in it. That's cute as hell.

6. The Okami Vibes

Obviously not in art style or even saying they deliberately went for an Okami look, but they certainly look like they wouldn't be too out of place as a creature out of Okami wouldn't they? Zoroark's design even calls Ninetails to mind, even moreso than the actual Ninetales. While Okami does tend to favor ogre-ish and Oni-like designs for their monsters, they do have such creatures running around like the tricky Tube Fox.

7. They Don't Kill Each Other's Vibe

It happens far too often that a cute or unique Pokemon will evolve into an ultimate badass that, while cool, end up really losing out on the original form's charm. These two, while pretty drastically different, aren't so completely detached that I'd say Zoroark is missing the same aesthetic cues of Zorua or vice versa!

8. They're Even Fun To Use Ingame!

Because of their Illusion ability, they can end up having a unique play pattern different form most other Pokemon. Especially if you're playing in the single-player parts of the game. Sadly, Zoroark can be predicted into with online battles since you get to see team layouts, but in a regular casual playthrough of a Pokemon game it's definitely fun to watch the AI fall for your disguise tricks. Especially when you disguise your Zoroark as a Fighting or Poison type fighting a Psychic type and watch as they hopelessly attempt to use Psychic moves against a Dark type.

I've also got a fun fascination with shapeshifting, so. Even psuedo-shapeshifting like with these two is neat. Ditto is cool and all but. A fox that shapeshifts? Get outta here. Now you're just toying with me.

9. Ridiculously Photogenic

Yeah, I guess technically any Pokemon is subject to this but. Just looking at illustrations of them is always really nice. Especially when you find really good ones. TCG art is for the most part pretty great, so of course I'm a fan of the illustration on certain cards.

10. Extremely Fun to Draw

Yeah, maybe that's not a totally fair thing but. I really can't say I'd ever get tired of drawing these two. I could draw them into infinity if I really wanted to just never draw anything else ever. That's the true problem with the world! To many things that are also fun to draw! Keeping me from drawing Zorua constantly! Bah!

There are two shames to this line. One being you could say that these two are pretty much sequels to Riolu and Lucario, Pokemon I've previously tore into. And Pokemon's not seemed shy of introducing, I hate putting it this way but, “furrybait” Pokemon. So these two had a success formulated in much the same way as Lucario. But they both pull it off so much more tastefully than Lucario's nonsense design does.

The other bummer being that, in a post-Gen 5 world, their popularity has significantly fallen off. Don't get me wrong, I'm fine with Pokemon other than my absolute favorites getting some time in the limelight, but it's so annoying seeing repeated Pokemon Marketing All-Stars that you find boring getting things like Mega Evolutions or Alolan Forms with your top favorite Pokemon of all time sadly getting left out. Lucario can get a Mega, Charizard can get two, but not Zoroark?!

Anyway, sure, this review has gone on long enough. Fiiiiine. I got to sing all the praise I can. Fox Pokemon has historically been the best of the canid Pokemon. So hopefully all foxes from this point onward don't disappoint. You got high standards to live up to!

[Archive]

[italicwatches]

Comic Girls - Episode 11

Today I have to decide whether or not to do a batshit thing to build hype for Smash. But also, it’s Comic Girls, episode 11! Here we GO!

-It all starts at the dorm, where the girls have gotten one of those career-goal surveys from school to fill out. Which has them in a bit of a trouble, since three of the four here already have their plans figured out and even Kaos knows her goals, she’s just struggling to, you know, achieve them. Of course, they all have to put down more than just the obvious first choice…

-So what’s Ruki’s backup plans if this manga train stops? She’d love to teach children. And Kaos gets all sad about the idea of losing Ruki and Tsubasa says, and I quote, “How could you leave Kaos behind to take care of other people’s children?!” And Koyume even backs her up. I’m sorry, Ruki, you’re stuck with this little pink blob thing for life.

-Opening!

-So why teaching, and especially at a nursery school of all places? Low supply, high demand, and she loves working with kids. Really, as much as she loves manga, Ruki would still be pretty dang happy if teaching was what paid her bills, and it’d be a lot more stable…She intends to get the license after she graduates, in fact, just so she has the option if things go sideways. …Just don’t draw any smut in front of them on accident. That’s how you got into this mess in the first place, remember.

-Well, Koyume’s thinking she could always fall back on her family’s sweets shop! She knows most of the recipes already! Oh hey it turns out Kaos’s folks also run a small shop, but they do traditional Japanese confectionaries, not Western sweets like Koyume’s folks. Koyume suddenly totally wants to do a fusion collab. East meets West! They’ll take the treat community by storm, Kaos! Would anyone even buy that…They could build it into a great cultural icon! Have enough space to do events, work with up-and-coming idols, it’d be the coolest! Koyume please focus on your actual current plans and not your wild ideas for if those plans don’t work out.

-So what about Tsubasa? Nothing. And she is NOT putting down anything her parents would want god dammit! …Tsu, you got issueOMINOUS CHANTING. We can never escape. I’m sorry what were we talking about? Oh, right, jobs. Tsubasa is having to figure out actual plan Bs to continue her rebellion. How about being a superhero? No, that’s too unrealistic. A professional swordswoman, maybe…You, you know what, let them help—

-SUZU IS HERE

-FROM THE CRAWLSPACE

-SHE WANTS TO BE A GHOST WHEN SHE GROWS UP

-Actually she also wants to be a caregiver. There’s lots of demand for it back home, as she casually starts to lower a rope to come down to the ground. …Suzu, you’re as much of a dork as Tsubasa. Also she really does want to be a ghost when she grows up. KAOS RUN FOR IT SHE’S COMING FOR YOU

-So after they banish Suzu to the shadow realm, back to this damned form. Tsubasa still has no idea what to write after ‘manga artist’. And Kaos…Kaos has the problem that she has no idea of anything she could do. She’s much too clumsy to help out at her parents’ shop…And she’s the only one without a serialized gig! She’s doomed, DOOMED she tells you! And cue Ririka to come check up on them.

-Soon they’re all talking over coffee and tea, and she explains her own past…How she was facing much the same decision. She was nearly serialized when she was your age, you know…But, she gave it up. The pressure of being a professional manga artist just…took the fun out of it for her. The freedom. It’s a bit embarrassing to admit in front of actual working pros, though she did get to to release a one-shot volume, “The Afternoon Smells Like Oranges”…

-Kaos perks up. Because wait. Wait wait wait. YOU’RE Rika Sonoda-sensei?! You still have fans! Look at all these reviews! And Ririka is embarrassed, most of all to admit that even under that, she just, couldn’t hold up her end of things…It’s one of the reasons why she runs this dorm, to give people a better place to work, to find the strength to be able to do what she couldn’t. Because there is nothing that makes her more proud than seeing an artist become strong enough to stand as a professional…And of course, she still does some hobby work from time to time.

-…Kaos wants to see it. Right now. Right now right now! Koyume also wants to see it! Nnnnope. (It’s all incredibly trashy yuri manga, isn’t it. I remember the flashback scene, I know you were pushing for girls smooching on the cover!)

-But then it’s a firm cut to the notice going up. The dorm’s final days in its current state. Everyone’s got to have their crap gone by February 2nd, because that’s when the wrecking crew is coming. It’s a painful moment for all of them…As Ririka decides she wants to make their remaining time special. And since nobody has deadlines, she needs help going through the storage room…Full of the history of everyone she’s held in these dorms. It’s all got to get organized, boxed, and ready for its next home…And treated right.

-There’s tons of history and weight in this little storage room. Sketches, photos, reference books…Everything that years and years of growing young professionals used. All carefully stored in closed book cases, to keep them safe from the ravages of time. Tsubasa and Kaos end up talking about those damn career forms…Tsubasa just gave up and wrote “manga artist” twice. Let them try and call her on it. But Kaos…Kaos still doesn’t even know if she’s confident enough to write it once. She absolutely wants to be a manga artist…But she gets so scared…

-That’s normal. It’s a scary thing to do. All you can do is just…Put the fear aside, and keep pushing forward. Focus on the dream. Now, come on, help her get this poster down…And when that poster comes down, there’s something behind it. A simple drawing on the wall. A little cheer for the artists still to come, written by someone who long since left this place. The history hits her like a freight train, and she properly realizes she’s standing upon the shoulders of giants…!

-Hard cut to Kaos and Koyume trying to get all fired up. Which mostly means a lot of wiggling and shouting.

-And then it’s night time, and Kaos has been working her ass off all day…When Koyume goes to get her something to drink, and finds Tsubasa and Ruki sipping cocoa. Everyone’s having a bit of a late night, it seems…I can only assume it’s the last night in the dorm, or close to it.

-But then the next meeting, when Kaos brings four storyboards to the meeting with Mayu. She, needs, to, have, SOMETHING accepted before the dorm shuts down! So, each of them is a little different…The first is a rom-com, borrowing some skill from Koyume. It’s…Well, it’s very Kaos. Her idea of strong and manly is firewood-chopping and mighty lung capacity. And full of ridiculous dad-jokes. Because her best concept of ‘manly’ is, well, her own dad. That’s kind of adorable, actually.

-So next. It’s a naughty comedy! She pulled from Ruki but it was like 2 in the morning and seemed like a good ideate the time even if now it feels like a terrible plan in the stark light of day. Also Kaos’s super simple chibi stylings don’t, entirely, work with eroticism. And also the height of perversion that Kaos can internally parse into her art is panty shots. Oh and the firewood again. You’d think someone so thirsty could go heavier.

-Third storyboard…It’s a comedy isekai! You know, that actually has a lot of potential meat on the bone. Meat that Kaos wasn’t really able to properly use, because it’s very cliche…Though Mayu points out that it just needs one good twist. Find a way to make the protagonist stand out, and…he’s chopping firewood. I’m sensing a pattern. Mayu is quietly despairing…

-When the fourth one comes up. It’s core slice-of-life, with a lot of the lessons she’s learned in her life so far…And without a lot of the real zaniness. No, without the over-the-top comedy, the cutesy art is able to just be…cute, and let the real heart shine through. The feel of a girl running on genuine fears and loves, passions and anxieties…It, it’s genuine. Mayu has to admit that she’s a bit brain-drained from chewing on all of these, as it’s been hours now, but…Let her hold onto this one. She wants to read it again in the morning.

-And so Kaos is off…Having left behind her manuscript with Mayu. For a simple, heartfelt manga about four plucky lesbians by the name of The Lord of the Ri—Er, I mean, Comic Girls. Yeah, that. Kaos is full of uncertainty herself, but as she walks home under the light of a full moon, and remembers that simple cheer that was on that wall, from someone who themselves finally escaped rejection hell on their last days in the dorm, she feels like she’s at least gotten her path forward…

-Even if she ends up staying up half the night in fear. Until she gets a call! From her mother! Oh, wh—ANOTHER CALL! It’s from Mayu! Who lets her know…She’s been APPROVED! She made it! She’s getting published! Not just that, they want her to expand Comic Girls into a two-parter! If the surveys come back well, it could even be serialized! Oh god, OH GOD SHE MADE IT! Making it. You ain’t there just yet, kid. Deep breaths!

-And everyone hears and YES you did it! You DID IT! Even Suzu is there, openly admitting she only shows up out of nowhere.

-So when the morning arrives at school, everyone’s got those career forms. Tsubasa’s is simple: Choice one? Manga artist. Choice two? “There’s nothing else.” It is true to her. And Kaos?

-…Kaos no.

-Kaos you’re doing into my bad place. That’s my bad place, stay out of there. I have it just comfortable for me. But anyways she wrote manga artist in the first choice so that’s the important bit.

-Episode 11: My Life Has Reached Its Peak

-Credits!

Well, much like Kaos’s own manuscript, this episode skipped a lot of the absurdist comedy to just…Be really from the heart, for a minute. And it hit fuckin’ hard, too. I guess now we will see what happens in our wrap-up, and if Kaos can stand on her own two feet, next time in the finale. Episode TWELVE of Comic Girls! Wait for it!

[sometipsygnostalgic]

tipsy’s top shows of 2017

hi! since homestuck’s over i’ve been exploring a lot of stuff, old and new, and ho boy there’s LOTS to talk about so, with what in some areas was very difficult ranking, here’s a list of my favourite cartoons! er, some of them arent actually from 2017, i just watched them this year.

1. adventure time. it’s adventure time, it was already amazing, but this year marks its comeback into my heart. what surprised me is how... honest it became since the start of season 8. like, characters would actually have meaningful emotional scenes with buildup instead of just shrugging it off  to be Fake Deep like before. and the thing is that when you have sincere moments, it makes the comedy that much better. Best episode: Three Buckets, the funniest and most tragic episode of the year.

2. Pokemon: sun and moon. now i’m not going to pretend the pokemon cartoon is great. i’m not even going to pretend it’s good. but sun and moon... there’s just something about this show that snuck into my heart. the wacky expressions, the nice animation, the actually friendly school environment where they got to do cool things and there are no bullies thank god. and while i initially watched waiting for it to do something cool like the games, i grew to appreciate it for what it is. Best Episode: Lillie, take good care of Pikachu! (ENG: The Ol’ Raise and Switch!), a really cute concept turned into a genuinely emotional development. 3. OK, K.O.! cartoon network’s newest big IP. i’m not straight up addicted to it like adventure time but it puts a smile on my face nearly every time, with its visual humor and unique art style. it helps that K.O. was originally voiced by Stephanie Naldony, who is Son Goku and Son Gohan in the original Dragonball dubs. i think the main trio of this series works well, their personalities clashing nicely, and their mentor relationship with mr gar is just.... i love it, okay? the big flaw here though is when they try to do an ep without K.O. in, it just seems to fall flat. anyway it’s hard to decide but Best Episode: Second First Date, cutesy flashbacks with a realistic and sweet modern development.

4. Mob Psycho 100! Mob! Mob! What do you want? Mob! Mob! What do you want? Mob! Mob! What do you want? Move, move JUST LIKE MOB!  anyway i loved this because it’s one of the few shows where the protagonist is actually the best character. if you’ve seen MP100, you’ll understand the timebomb scenario where Mob has a mental breakdown when he reaches 100 and unleashes an unpredictable psychic storm... but ANYTHING can happen... and the season finale blew me out of the water. nice characters, nice developments, best anime. Favourite episode: Mob and Reigen, the greatest payoff to a running gag I’ve ever seen. 

5. My Hero Academia. this one I finished watching just this weekend, so it’s all new to me, but... while season 1 turned me off because of deku’s constant whinging and pathetically unsympathetic backstory, season 2 with is focus on the other classmates made for an exciting story. there’s some cast members who are always going to make your life hell (cough grapehead cough) but i no longer feel like taking the piss out of it for being melodramatic. Best Episode:  Hero Killer: Stain vs U.A. Students, which was really nice buildup to the following ep suitably named “climax”, and showed off just how more skilled the characters are getting.

6. Kill La Kill. i don’t... remember if i actually watched it this year (probably watched it last year since i was making jokes about lusamine being a toned down ragyo?), but i’m listing it here anyway. what i disliked about KLK was how lewd it was, and i was made quite uncomfortable by the fucking pedophilia in episode 16, but this action romp is a blast with plenty of comedy and an interesting story that makes you think about the relationships we have both to each other and to social conventions like clothing. Anyway, pure adrenaline. Best episode: the one where ryuko and satsuki fight in the huge school war, i cant remember what its called. 

7. Steven Universe. it’s... not that SU is bad by any counts, this just has been a terrible year for the show. i’d argue SU has grown staler now than season 6 of AT was back in 2015, which is sad cos SU only started airing in late 2013. back in 2015 during the AT slump SU would have easily topped this list!!! anyway it continues to be a very charming show with WONDERFUL music, but it’s wasting away its characters and constantly stalling, and since nothing interesting or particularly funny happens, nobody tunes in. SU needs to develop more emotional range rather than banging in the same plot points again and again. Best Episode: The Trial, a refreshing, humorous, and mysterious change of pace after constant stagnation.

8. One Punch Man. yeah this show aired a few years ago. it marks the bottom of my 2015 shows list because, outside of its silly fun... there’s nothing to OPM? it’s just silly fun with a bit of nudity or whatever, and the same running gag. I’m going to be honest, i got really bored and wanted to leave the stream about halfway through. i do enjoy the action though especially when OPM flips. but i thik Mob Psycho 100 is a superior alternative that uses the same premise far more flexibly, and therefore more entertainingly. OPM is pretty generic. Best Episode: any ep with the biker guy in. he is the best character

EDIIIIT: Honorable Mention: Star vs the Forces of Evil! i... forgot that i watched this show. i’d rank it 6th, barely above KLK. while i can’t point out any outstanding quality about Star, it’s a cute and entertaining show. i haven’t watched any of season 3 though and have heard Mixed Reviews which is why i can’t place it any higher. best episode: ludo vs the eagle and spider

anyway that’s it for now! i’m not keeping up on any other shows.